Calm and unruffled, George Kneiser retained his lead into the second round Friday of the Royal Beach Victoria Open presented by the sa国际传媒, the first event of the 10-tournament 2023 PGA Tour sa国际传媒 season.
“It feels solid. I stayed aggressive,” said the 2020 graduate of NCAA Div. 1 University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, who was 62-66 for 12-under 128.
Meanwhile, if Étienne Papineau suffered any effects from his cross-country trek, from playing in the RBC Canadian Open last week in Toronto to swinging at Uplands Golf Club this week, he wasn’t showing it. The native of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., was one shot back at 11-under 129 after rounds of 64 Thursday and 65 Friday to join Chris Korte out of the University of Denver Pioneers in a tie for second place.
Going from playing against PGA Tour golfers last weekend to battling aspirants chasing the dream this weekend in the feeder PGA Tour sa国际传媒, Papineau realizes what a fine line it is.
“I was in a locker-room last week with some of the best players in the world and watched how they acted,” said Papineau, the 2015 Quebec amateur champion, who played NCAA Div. 1 at West Virginia University for the Mountaineers.
“It was a learning experience and I hope one day to get there. But it’s a long process. I have to keep doing what I’m doing and, hopefully, one day I can play alongside them every week. That’s the goal.”
It is for all the golfers gathered at Uplands this week.
“There are so many good players on the PGA Tour sa国际传媒 and they have earned their place to be here,” said Papineau, who tied for fifth in last year’s Royal Beach Victoria Open and also tied for fifth in the overall 2022 PGA Tour sa国际传媒 Fortinet Cup season standings.
“These players here are not that far off, to be honest. Most PGA Tour players have come through the PGA Tour sa国际传媒 or PGA Tour Latin America [which will merge next year]. It’s great to be a part of this.”
Only a few will make it to the big time, however.
“In the developmental pro golf level, you always feel like your back is against the wall,” said Uplands leader Kneiser.
“You have to be comfortable with your back against the wall.”
That he has been this week.
“My ball striking has been solid and I am parring my putts,” said the native of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, who is a huge fan of his home-state Green Bay Packers.
At stake in the 2023 PGA Tour sa国际传媒 season are five spots into the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour, which is the gateway tour to the PGA Tour, much like the AHL is to the NHL. The PGA Tour sa国际传媒 in that analogy would be the ECHL. The former Canadian Tour became the Mackenzie Tour PGA Tour sa国际传媒 in 2013 and 60 PGA Tour sa国际传媒 alumni have advanced to play on the PGA Tour over the past decade with 22 PGA Tour victories between them.
More than 300 PGA Tour sa国际传媒 alumni have gone on to play on the Korn Ferry Tour since 2013 with more than 50 victories among them.
Among noteworthy performers to make the cut, former University of Victoria Vikes player Lawren Rowe was tied for 10th at 7-under 133, Jeevan Sihota of Victoria tied for 20th at 5-under 135 and Crown Isle qualifying tournament champion Jimmy Jones, son of Island LPGA great Dawn Coe-Jones, tied for 51st at 2-under,
Sixty-six golfers made the cut, which was 2-under, for today’s third round and Sunday’s final round.
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